Guns & Cradles: The Post War Love Story of a Cross Species Liaison
by TribalVipe
Summary: Shepard and Garrus settle into life post-war. *NOTE: I adjusted the order of the chapters to make it easier to read!*
1. Recovery

Hey guys! So, this is like my second fic and I don't normally do these types of things but I've been dreaming about improving my creative writing skills and uploading my work for all to see! I've been working on this for a while and I hope you like!

I don't own anything!

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If she had to choose one thing in her life she never wanted to deal with again, it was hospitals.

The walls were white, the fluorescent lighting gave her massive headaches and she was almost positive the staff was trying to kill her with kindness. Seriously, they were all cautious smiles and soft, friendly voices and she wasn't too sure she would make it out of there without ripping someone a new asshole.

"My name isn't honey," she said, pouting. She pushed away her red jello cup, the pathetic cubes dancing happily in their mustard yellow bowl. A deep, flanging chuckle from next to her had her frown growing deeper, the lines between her eyebrows creasing further.

"What are you laughing about?"

Garrus Vakarian leaned forward, his arms crossed and braced on the edge of her bed, and shook his head at his girlfriend's deeply aggravated expression. He knew the moment the blonde fringed nurse had set the tray down on her table that Shepard would be annoyed. It never failed.

"She's just trying to be nice. Make you comfortable… _honey_."

The Commander sent him a searing glare and sunk down further into the mattress, staring at the jello that had gone still.

"How much longer do I have to stay?"

Garrus leaned back in what he dubbed his chair. The nursing staff, after becoming quickly aware that, yes, he was her boyfriend, and no, he wasn't leaving, they conjured up an old arm chair from the basement that hadn't been used in ages, cleaned it off and gave it to him as a gift for keeping the Commander in her bed and hooked up to her IV's when all she wanted was to escape.

"Only one more month, Shep. Then you can tell the nurses to take their flowers and shove them up their asses."

That got a smile out of her. Any and all positive reaction he could garner out of her he called a win, especially when she was confined to a hospital bed for 20 hours a day. He flicked off his omni tool after checking the time and stood to close the curtains so she could sleep easily without the view of the construction site. When he turned back, she sat grudgingly eating the jello the blonde nurse had brought in.

He chuckled to himself and sat back down in his seat, content to watch her eat.

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Let me know what you guys think and if you're interested in me continuing! Thanks!


	2. Canes

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

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Spirits, help him, this woman was stubborn.

He loved her, there was no denying that…but he had to admit he loved her stubbornness just a teeny tiny bit less than everything else.

"Shepard, please use the cane. If something happens to you and you get hurt again…I really don't think my blood pressure can take it," Garrus explained, trying to reason. His poor heart had been through a hell of a lot these past couple of years, his scarred up face as well, and all he wanted was peace of mind, body and soul, at least for the next year.

But he couldn't do that when the woman he loved refused to walk with the cane. Chakwas had threatened him bodily harm if she saw the Commander trying to walk without it and he had no doubt the grey haired doctor would find a way to make him suffer.

"I don't need the damn cane, Garrus. I'm just walking to the skycar," she grunted in obvious pain. He sighed and scratched the back of his neck, unsure of what to do. It was painfully evident she wasn't going to give up without a fight and he would be forced to watch her limp all the way down to the street.

"Shepard-"

"I said, I don't need the cane! What don't you understand?"

Garrus promptly shut his mouth and looked away, knowing to quite while he was ahead. There was no reasoning with her when she was in one of her moods.

When they finally made it to the skycar, he opened her door and helped her sit, trying to steer clear of the still prominent bruising on her sides. After she was settled and the bags were packed in the backseat, he started up the skycar and began their drive to the house the Alliance had procured for them.

Ten minutes into the silent drive was when he heard an uncharacteristic sniffle from the seat next to him and then a warm, five fingered hand wrapped around his talons.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, rubbing viciously at her red rimmed eyes, not willing for him to see her in such a state. He had only actually witnessed her crying once and he wasn't entirely sure he could call it that.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I know this is hard on you, Shepard. But please, do what the doctors tell you. If something happens to you…I don't…I-"he stopped himself, old memories rushing back before he could stop them. The pain he felt when she first died never matched up to the pain he felt when that rocket hit his face. The despair he experienced when he thought she was gone again after he woke up in the med bay on a stranded _Normandy_ was nothing compared to the despair he experienced when his team on Omega had been violently murdered.

"I know," she said, her voice more calm and her face free of tears. He laced their fingers together, anchoring himself to her and the car and the house they would call a home, just for the time being.

"I'll use the cane," she sighed and cracked a smile when she saw his mandibles twitch in relief. With what she assumed was the house they would be staying at in the distance, her fears about leaving the confines of the hospital subsided. Garrus was with her. He had her six, just like he always did.

They would be all right.

She would be all right.


	3. Transpo Benches

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING.

Enjoy ;)

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Solona Vakarian liked to think she was a patient person. More patient than most people, anyway. She had the uncanny ability to tune out crying babies, keep a calm façade when jostled or accidentally bumped into. She didn't even bat an eyelash that one time in Tetra when some drunk idiot threw up all over the seat in front of her on the transport ship headed back to Cipritine.

Yes, Solona was a patient person, indeed.

But everyone had their limits and she was no different in that respect.

She had lost count of how many times she was pushed aside by angry civilians or accidentally rubbed spurs with some random stranger. She couldn't remember how many times she had been hit on by that creepy Volus behind her or how many children had run past her and stepped on her feet.

It was understandable, though, the amount of people at the transport station. It was the first ship heading out of the docks and headed for the rebuilt relay. Eden Prime was truly a beautiful planet, but it wasn't home to many of the people that stood at the gates. The Citadel wasn't either, but it was familiar to most of the stranded people there, anyway.

Even so, that old Vakarian temper began to flare up when that damned Volus "accidentally" brushed her still healing spur with his hand. She could feel it swell and boil in her chest and her plates began to heat up when she heard his suggestive humming as she straightened up in an attempt to keep her from turning around and kicking his face plate in.

"Screw this," she muttered and threw her bag over her shoulder, successfully smacking the creepy man's faceplate and making her way to the seating area. It was full, save for one seat. The turian man in the seat beside it had his face buried in a data pad, hunched over and focused.

 _At least he's cute._

She trekked over his way and stopped right in front of the spare seat, hoping he would glance up at her sudden intrusion. When he didn't, she cleared her throat, catching his attention and for a moment, he looked startled and his expression quickly turned into one of terror.

She was taken aback by his reaction but she asked if the empty seat was taken anyway and he calmed down enough to shake his head no. His dark green eyes darted wildly around her and she momentarily wondered if she even should take the seat. He could have been strung out on drugs or a psycho hell bent on murdering someone, but even so, she could take him if the situation arose.

"Are you ok?"

He snapped his head in her direction and it made her jump a little, barely catching his quiet apology for startling her.

"It's alright…but are you?"

The man nodded and gulped, making eye contact with her for a second before going back to his data pad, seemingly more interested in it than he was before she sat down.

"Ok…," Solona muttered and sat back, crossing her legs and opening up her omni-tool to see if her father had procured their reserved tickets yet. He had gotten caught in a meeting with a few diplomats and generals and had told her to meet him at the docks, but he wasn't going to be there for another twenty minutes, their flight leaving in thirty.

She sighed and closed the orange glowing screen, lacing her hands together and swinging her foot in lazy circles. The young woman spared a glance in the man's direction again, his eyes darting from the data pad to the crowd in front of them. He was clearly nervous, but about what, she wasn't sure.

"So, are you headed to the Citadel, too?"

The man looked up at her, seeming calmer now than he had before and she was glad for that. He nodded, humming a bit and she smiled, noticing how cute he really was when he wasn't freaking out over nothing.

"Were you lucky enough to get in on this flight? Or are you stuck on a later one?"

"Uh…I'm on this one," he responded, his voice calm and collected. He made eye contact with her again and stopped, holding her stare for a moment before looking away.

"What are your plans? Helping rebuild?"

"I'm actually a new recruit for C-Sec. They need all the help they can get."

Solona nodded, unashamedly checking him out from her seat. He was an attractive man that was for sure. He looked to be about the same height as her, maybe an inch or two taller. His fringe was average length but his waist was trim and his arms were muscular.

"Well, looks like we'll be doing some work together. I'm actually running a special ops task force and my dad was offered the position as Executor. C-Sec pretty much runs in my family too. My younger brother used to be a detective," she explained, her smile vanishing at the mention of her brother but she had missed the way he froze and stared at her, searching for an answer to a question he hadn't asked.

"Well…I'm the first in my family to be going into C-Sec, so it's going to be a totally new experience for me."

"You'll enjoy it if you love doing paperwork and taking drunk strip club fight calls. It's a bunch of crap the first year or two, but you'll move up fast."

They fell into a comfortable silence before the loud speaker in the transport station came to life, announcing a delay in departure up to one hour. Groans and protest filled the air and Solona huffed in annoyance, her companion shaking his head.

"Well, that's just lovely."

She opened up her omni tool and sent a quick message to her dad, telling him about the delay and to take his time with his meeting that was most likely still in session.

"Do you…uh…," the man next to her stumbled over his words, gesturing with his hand toward the dextro/levo diner across from the ticket kiosks. Solona smiled, trying her best not to laugh as the man nervously tried to mutter the question he was trying to ask her.

"Did you…maybe we could, I don't know, grab a bite? To eat that is. Grab a bite to eat. If you don't want to that's fine. I understand. I mean I-"

"Yes."

He stopped and looked at her, a smile gracing his features a second later and he stood up, grabbing his bag that looked barely even close to being full, Solona following his movements. Halfway down the walkway she remembered she hadn't even gotten the man's name.

"I'm Solona, by the way. Solona Vakarian."

The man looked nervous again for a second, just like he had when he had first laid eyes on her but he held out his hand and said his name in a clear, calm voice.

"Lantar Sidonis."


	4. Weddings

A/N: So I know Kal kicked the bucket but he didn't in my world so get over it. Also, I won't be posting chapters in chronological order since it's kind of difficult for me to keep a timeline. These are supposed to be moments in their lives post-war.

I don't own anything.

Enjoy!

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She never thought she would get suckered into wearing a dress again, but here she was, wearing a chiffon dress that moved when she walked and made her feel all womanly. The heels however…

She could go without having to ever wear high heels again and she most likely wouldn't. Even when she and Garrus inevitably got hitched, she wouldn't wear them. It's not like he would mind, at all. The concept of high heels flew way over his head and it did hers as well, so it was OK.

She would suffer, though, for Ashley. She owed her that much, at least.

Speaking of, the woman in question was a total wreck. Between make up, her dress, her shoes and Vega being twice as nervous as her, Shepard began to feel anxious as well. She watched the dark haired woman pace the room, babbling about the stupid tailor not getting her measurements right and the cake decorator using pink instead of pale yellow roses like she ordered.

Next to her, Tali tried covering up her laughter by clearing her throat or sighing as she listened to her friend's nervous prattle.

"How HARD is it to pipe PALE YELLOW roses on a wedding cake?! Do yellow and pink sound even remotely similar to you? Where's my wine?"

Ashley picked up her glass of have finished white wine and slammed down the rest, wiping her mouth off with the back of her hand as she fell to the sage green couch behind her. Shepard had to keep herself from laughing at that one before sitting on the chair opposite of the couch. Liara looked up from her data pad temporarily to look amused at the woman before returning to the, no doubt, long list of messages and Intel rolling through her inbox.

"Ash…shouldn't you be more worried about the fact that the ceremony starts in less than ten minutes and you're not even dressed yet?"

The dark haired woman groaned and got up again, the lines of stress returning to her pretty features.

"Well it's not going to make a difference if James left already," she muttered, reapplying the light pink lipstick with shaky hands.

"Trust me, Garrus isn't letting him get away. He showed up on our doorstep at 5 this morning and has been annoying everyone ever since. All I've heard since 5 am is, 'She's too good for me' or 'does this suit make me look fat?'

That garnered a small smile from the brunette and she turned to face her former Commander, looking a little but less haggard. Somehow, the woman always knew what to say to calm her nerves. It's what made her a great leader and even better friend. They had had their rocky moments in the past, but she wouldn't trade their friendship for anything.

"Now get dressed. Tali, Liara and I are going to go check up on the guys," Shepard said, gesturing for her friends to follow her out of the room to give the woman some privacy.

It was a short walk to the room where the guys were, the door open with Kal leaning in the door frame. Upon hearing them, he straightened up and held out a hand to Tali, shaking his head in what Shepard could only assume was amusement.

"Scars…why does love hurt?"

Inside the room, Garrus rolled his eyes at the dramatics and chuckled despite himself. He hadn't thought James Vega had a nervous bone in his body, but here he was…draped dramatically across the couch with his hand clutching his heart.

"Pull it together, Vega. Did she leave? Did she run off with another man? Calm yourself down and finish getting dressed," Garrus coached, the human man nodding half hearted and reaching up to adjust his cap.

"Vega, the ceremony starts in five minutes. You guys have to be out there soon," Shepard said, stepping into the room next to Garrus and crossing her arms. She took a second to admire once more how good he cleaned up. He had finally put weight and muscle back on and was looking better than ever in his military dress uniform.

"I know Lola. I just can't believe this is happening," he said, a small smile crossing over his face. He stood up suddenly, renewed and fixing his gloves. His dress blues were crisp and freshly pressed and he looked ready to take on the world now. He swallowed his jitters and puffed out his chest, just like the Jimmy Vega everyone was used to seeing.

"Let's do this."

* * *

The ceremony had turned out great. Everything ran without a hitch and seeing Vega get emotional was worth every second of it. The party made up for it too.

Shepard had more than enough to drink and her boyfriend had been drunk within an hour of the party starting. It wasn't all that surprising since they boys had taken shots during the toasts. They danced, ate and caught up with friends before they left the chaos of the dance floor to walk the lush botanical garden that other couples had ventured out into.

"Sobering up?"

Garrus nodded and sighed, pulling her closer to his body as he felt a chill run down her spine. The night air was chilly and Shepard tended to get cuddly when she got tipsy.

"Can you believe Vega cried? It was only a couple of tears but I never thought I would see the day," Garrus laughed, Shepard joining him.

"Almost as unbelievable as you doing the Macarena," she said and kissed the underside of his jaw. He sighed at the feel of her lips and leaned down to properly kiss her with his hard plated mouth.

She sighed into the kiss, her alcohol addled brain suddenly went from thinking about a couple of things to only one as she ran her hands up his chest.

"Here?"

She shrugged her shoulders at his questioning gaze and pushed him into a darkened corner of the garden, smiling as he almost lost his balance.

It was a perfect way to end a good night.


	5. Awards Ceremony

A/N: Yay! I updated it! Also, as a reminder, these short ficlets aren't supposed to be in any order. Sorry if there was any confusion! Enjoy! :D

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"No."

Garrus slapped a hand over his face in frustration. Shepard sat in the middle of the sofa, arms and legs crossed with her nose turned up towards the open sliding door that lead down to the beach. He knew getting her to agree to something like this was going to be a challenge and a lot of work and it didn't help that she was possibly the most stubborn woman who ever lived.

"Shepard…it's just an anniversary ceremony. Why they wanted to celebrate the deadliest war in the history of the universe is beyond me, but it would be good for you to go and accept the award they want to give you and make a little speech. Preferably without cursing and those lewd gestures I know you're fond of," Garrus explained, arms crossed and a pleading look on his face.

Shepard glanced at him, keeping her blank expression before giving him the exact same answer she had three times before.

Garrus huffed in frustration and threw his hands up, at a loss of how to get her to agree. The only thing he had left to do was to get her into that sky car and get her to the club. Liara already had everything set up and Tali had just arrived earlier that morning with Kal, along with their other friends.

He was desperately running out of ideas. He'd tried pleading, begging, and bribery of a sexual nature and usually that was the one that worked the most. She hadn't even flinched at the mention of it.

"Shepard…," he said quietly, at the end of his rope. Bright, green eyes looked him up and down before sighing, her shoulders dropping in a silent answer. She couldn't refuse him when he made that face with his sub vocals whispering in despair.

But she was angry either way. He knew she hated award ceremonies or any public event that forced her to make uncomfortable eye contact with strangers or be thanked for all that she's done for the universe or, in some cases, attacked for not being able to do enough.

"You won't regret this. I promise."

Somehow, she doubted that.

"Shep, you almost ready?"

A muffled groan came from the walk in closet on the other side of the room and the turian suppressed a chuckle. Getting her to get ready was like pulling teeth and they were running late. Everyone was at the club already and everything was set up to surprise her. However, Shepard wasn't the least bit enthusiastic on going to this "award ceremony".

"It won't be that bad," he said, fixing the collar on his jacket.

"Of course it will. It's an award ceremony…you've been to those."

Garrus flipped open his omni-tool to the message Liara sent, requesting an update on their status. He typed back quickly before watching his girlfriend put on her shoes begrudgingly. He walked up behind her and put his arms around her, resting his mouth plates against her neck, feeling her pulse beat on his lips. It was a feeling he never hoped to ever go without, again.

"Let's just stay here," she said softly, running her hands atop his and leaning so their foreheads touched. He nipped at her neck before turning her around, her body nestling into his.

"We can get food from that place down the street and watch all of the episodes of Citadel's Got Talent and cuddle. We don't have to go sit in a room with a bunch of people looking at me like I'm a God or something. I don't think I can take that."

Oh, how Garrus loved the sound of that. He wouldn't ever tell her, but those moments when she sat curled on his lap in their pajamas, eating junk food and watching vids were among his most cherished and favorite. It was in those moments that they got to act like a true couple. They weren't Shepard and Vakarian, war hero and badass extraordinaire. They were just a couple who stayed up late watching Volus stand up specials in their underwear and drinking beer.

But she needed a night with all of their friends that came from across the universe to see her and celebrate a year of recovery and being alive and making it through the deadliest war to (and ever will) happen.

"Trust me when I say that I would love nothing more than that, but once we get there, you won't be disappointed. I promise."

She nodded and forced a smile, looking longingly one last time at her ratty old sleep shirt and shorts before kissing him and letting him lead her out of their room.

When they arrived outside of the darkened club, Shepard sent him a questioning look as they stepped out of their skycar. It was absolutely silent outside, which was unusual for an awards ceremony, and the normally lit up neon sign outside of the building was off as well. It was dark and eerie and she got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"This is where the ceremony is?"

Garrus didn't say anything but grabbed her hand, quickly ushering her towards the entrance.

"Hello? Garrus? Will you answer me, please?"

When they made it to the entrance, all he did was look back at her with a wide smile and she had suppress the urge to punch him in the stomach for ignoring her. She was already irritated enough that they had to go to this stupid event and Garrus actively avoiding all of her prodding questions since they left their house hadn't improved her mood any.

"After you," he said, opening the door to the club and she pushed past him, making sure to bump into him on the way in which only earned her another smile. He loved it when she got sassy.

They made it half way through the darkened lobby before the lights turned on in shades of green and purple and loud cheers of surprise made her jump nearly twenty feet in the air. She put her hand to her heart, ensuring it was still beating after a scare like that before looking around at the group that stood in front of the club doors, dressed to the nines and drinks already in hand. The whole crew was here, smiles from ear to ear.

She immediately turned to Garrus, a halfhearted scowl on her face, calling him a dirty liar before she happily turned and bear hugged an already drunk Tali.

She hated surprises, but this one…wasn't so bad.


	6. Furniture

A/N: I own nothing!

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"Harder."

"Ugh, right there."

"Almost…done!"

"Keep going!"

"Yes!"

Garrus fell back on his hands, breathing hard as Shepard fell away from him, covered in sweat. Next to them sat their newly built sofa that had taken them all day to put together by themselves.

"It should not have taken us that long," Garrus said and pushed himself up and off the ground, going for the cushions to finish off the last detail. The instructions had been extremely difficult to follow and thinking that the both of them together would get the job done faster left him sorely mistaken.

"It wouldn't have if you would have let me pop in the instruction vid."

Garrus scoffed, slightly offended that he would need a vid to help him do something as simple as put together a piece of furniture. He had put together and assembled intricate machinery bent on killing and maiming. The Normandy's Thanix cannon (one of the most advanced pieces of weapons technology to exist on a warship) was calibrated to near perfection every single day because of him. Not even Legion, a synthetic being, could improve his work. A sofa would not be the one thing to defeat him.

"Men," his tired girlfriend muttered, shaking her head and plopping down on the cushions and sighing in content. She was happy she opted for the extra fluffy cushions. The extra thirty credits was well worth it if it meant being able to lay on a cloud in the privacy of her own home.

"Alright. Now just the table and we're good to go," Garrus said, already moving to the box that lay propped up against the counter to their kitchen. Truthfully, the both of them had been content to just eat at the island, not seeing the need for a table in their empty dining room, or a comfortable couch in their equally as empty living room. The only furniture they figured they needed were a bed, appliances to make edible food (when they would eventually learn how to cook) and a desk for their terminal.

Living on a ship for the majority of their lives left them able to fit their whole life in a bag thrown over their shoulder and having an actual home to fill with their belongings was still new to them.

"I'm going to take a break, hon…my back is already starting to kill me," she said breezily and shut her eyes, content to listen to him talk about how nervous he was about his father and sister coming to visit. That had been what pushed them into buying actual furniture in the first place.

That brought up a whole other thought process as her belly clinched in anxiety. She had heard stories of the elder Vakarian from both Garrus and Solona. He was a harsh, by-the-book kind of man, the complete opposite from his headstrong son who was known to break a rule or twenty. Not to mention the woman his son was going to marry violated more military regulations than was absolutely necessary, even if she had been in the middle of saving everyone's asses.

So the first time they met, she wanted to make their home look like it was actually lived in and not being squatted by two scarred up lovers. She was going to do her best, but the thought of meeting his dad was intimidating to say the least.

Solona on the other hand had been surprisingly easy to get along with. They talked once a week through vid call and messaged back and forth frequently. Shepard had the feeling that that wouldn't be the case with Papa Vakarian.

"Don't you think?"

Shepard popped her head up at the sudden sound of his voice asking her a question. He sat adorably among a pile of wood and instruction manuals, looking perplexed and shooting glares back and forth between two diagrams he looked like he couldn't understand.

"What was that?"

"I said we'll probably have better luck cooking dinner than putting together furniture," he said, throwing the papers away from him and standing to meet her at the couch. He pulled her folded legs up and slid underneath, running his talons up and down the bare skin of her ankles.

"Well I hope you know more about cooking than I do big guy or else we're screwed."

Garrus chuckled and rested one of his hands on her knee, giving it a squeeze. She smiled sleepily, enjoying the feeling of his rough, leathery hands on her smooth skin. With the impending doom that was his father visiting tomorrow, it was nice to spend this time with her boyfriend either way.


	7. Meeting Papa

A/N: Ok, so I adjusted the chapter order to make it easier to read! I know it was confusing and the random order idea was just bad from the start. So hopefully it's better to read now. I don't own any of the characters and I hope you guys enjoy!

* * *

Octavius Vakarian adjusted the collar of his tunic casually, back straight and a blank look on his face as he waited for the door to open.

When the great Commander Shepard opened the door to her and his son's home, he would not smile, nor would he glare. He would simply introduce himself, say hello to Garrus, eat the meal they wished to provide for this evening and be on his way home to Cipritine. He had far too much work to get done and it wasn't going to do itself. But he would be lying if he said he wasn't happy to see his son in person after so long. He had longed to embrace him since the first vid call he made after the Repears fell. Tonight, he would get a chance.

But that meant meeting Shepard, the human woman in a relationship with his boy. It was not a problem that she was a human nor was it the fact that she had been the reason her son blindly followed her into what Garrus described as the depths of hell before. It was the fact that she was a spectre. The first human spectre and he did not like spectres.

He was a C-Sec man, through and through and he did not take to spectres whatsoever. They held way too much authority and were immune to law. He had witnessed first-hand the power those individuals held and it was not something he ever wished his son be exposed too. Garrus had been an incredibly stubborn child, bent on doing justice and defeating evil (his childhood games were taken very seriously) and that translated over into his young adulthood. He had intercepted the application Garrus sent in to the recruitment center to protect his son from those privileges. If pushed, he had no doubt Garrus would go too far in his quest for justice and he couldn't stand the thought of losing him.

His thoughts were interrupted by the front door to their apartment opening up and Garrus stood there, a look that was both welcoming and defensive. If he were honest with himself, the fact that Garrus invited him into his home at all was surprising in and of itself. They hadn't ever really gotten along. Their arguments were long and drawn out and left him with a massive headache afterwards, but it was to be expected when he was arguing against someone who was so much like him.

"Dad."

"Son."

They stood staring at each other for a moment before Octavius moved first and embraced him, their mandibles touching briefly. When he pulled away, Garrus gestured for him to move further in. The apartment was small with bare walls but it looked lived in. He flicked his mandibles in amusement when he spotted two rifles, pulled apart and cleaned to perfection on the coffee table. Soldiers even in times of peace.

"How was the trip?"

"It was long, but that was to be expected."

Garrus nodded and for a second, looked like he was trying and failing to come up with something to say. Octavius waited patiently, doing his best not to do or say anything that would ruin the evening. He did not want to fight with him again so soon. Instead, he wanted to sit down and tell him how proud he was of him with his part in the war. He didn't necessarily like the fact that he was at the forefront of the attack, but he had fought hard and won.

"Shepard," Garrus said and Octavius broke his stare to see the new arrival. She was small. Smaller than he expected. The news and articles had painted her to be this larger than life fighting machine, but she looked like she could barely lift a sniper rifle.

"Shep, this is my dad. Dad, this is Shepard, my mate."

Octavius nodded and accepted the handshake from the woman before him. A small smile graced her odd shaped mouth and he flared his mandibles slightly, being polite as she addressed him and thanked him for coming. His nod of acknowledgment seemed to placate Garrus enough for him to relax and suggested a round of drinks before their dinner.

The awkwardness, however, did not leave as easily as his son's apprehensiveness.

Their entire meal was talk of rebuilding, the newly integrated council species (the Krogan being inducted as a council species was something Octavius never thought would happen during his lifetime) and Victus, who had plans to step away from the role of Primarch in the coming future. All-in-all, their evening had gone better than expected and the elder Vakarian had truly come to realize how happy his son was. He had noticed, when he came back home to Palaven with fresh scars and a story to tell, that he was more focused and matured than the last time they had met face to face.

It was plainly obvious what the motivation behind Garrus' sudden shift from an angry young man into a responsible adult on a mission. Even before Garrus admitted to their relationship with the human commanding officer, Octavius had an inkling that the feelings Garrus held for her went far beyond friendship. But Octavius also had to admit that he wasn't thrilled when he found out. He had contemplated threatening his son with disownment if he so much as even though of mating with this woman he hadn't meant and, frankly, didn't even really like. Garrus, however, did what he wanted and Octavius couldn't fault him for pursuing what he thought was best for him. He had done the same thing when he was a young man and if he hadn't, his children wouldn't have been created at all.

He thought back fondly to the moment he told his father he was going to bond with his dear Cassia, a poor girl from a traitorous clan, and chuckled at the look of pure shock and anger he had received from him.

 _Tainting the bloodline with such trash! If you go through with this, you are dead to me!_

He hadn't taken his father seriously back then and the man hadn't actually meant the words he hissed at his own son's retreating back. But the animosity between the two had been very real and very hard to deal with and he didn't wish to do the same to Garrus. Both of them had already carried the weight of the universe on their shoulders. He didn't want them to carry the weight of his non-acceptance of their relationship.

He vowed that it his personal feelings for the woman who sat beside his son, her fingers running smooth tracks over his knuckles, wouldn't become a barrier between him and Garrus. Far too much time had been wasted and who knows? Maybe one day he would come to see this human woman as a daughter.

"Dad…we wanted to talk to you about something."

Octavius flicked his mandible in amusement at the nervous quiver in his son's voice and Shepard's bright smile.

Yes…one day, he would.


	8. Blankets and Boyfriends

A/N: Ok, so I had a really fun time writing this chapter! Also, any feedback on the story or writing is much appreciated. Enjoy! Also, I don't own anything :D

* * *

"Quit hogging all the blankets!"

Garrus huffed as the fuzzy, warm blanket slid off his naked plates for the third time that morning. Looking back at his equally naked girlfriend, his irritation slipped away at the small smile she gave him, knowing he couldn't stand the cold.

"Why do you like to torture me?"

She closed her eyes and cuddled deeper into the warm blanket, not answering but the smirk told him everything he needed to know.

He turned and threw his arm around her smaller body, enjoying the feel of the faux fur rubbing against his skin. She loved that damn blanket. Slept with it every night since he got it for her on that human holiday…Chrimas? At any rate, the strange lore behind the holiday aside (why people thought telling children some large, human man who was probably thousands of years old, was going to break into their homes and leaves them presents was beyond him), he thoroughly enjoyed the gift giving. Seeing the joy on her face when she opened the presents he got her that morning was worth sitting through the cringe worthy holiday music from well over a hundred years ago and dealing with crazy holiday shoppers on this largely human city.

But of all of the presents she appreciated the most, that furry blanket he bought on a whim was the one she loved the most. She confessed that it reminded her of when she was a child on Mindoir. Her father had a similar blanket that he would cuddle her up in every Christmas Eve from the time she remembered until the year before it was destroyed in the attack. The thought that he bought her something that gave her good memories from her past made him happy and not the least bit offended that she overlooked the new mod for her Shuriken that she had been wanting for a while now.

Unfortunately, after a serious night of cuddling and trying to get warm from the dropping temperatures outside their home, he started to fall in love with the blanket too and so the battle of the blanket hogging began. Sometimes, he would roll over in his sleep, unconsciously dragging the blanket with him, leaving her bare to the cold room around her. A couple nights he woke up to a smack in the face with a pillow, before the blanket slid off his plated body and was securely wrapped around her again, all the while muttering about how it was her blanket and if he wanted one, he needed to go buy his own.

"It's not that I like to torture you. I just like the look on your face when I annoy you."

He rolled his eyes, a habit he most likely picked up from her, and shook his head, his feet searching for the abandoned comforter at the edge of their bed. She could have her blanket this time, but he would get it back later on that night when they went to sleep. It was going to be a constant battle until the warmer months melted away the frigid air.

"What time is your sister and her boyfriend getting here?"

"Later this afternoon," he replied, eyes closing as he relaxed into the pillows again. Shepard hummed beside him, one of her hands coming to rest on the warm skin of his upper arm.

"Are you ready to meet your future brother-in-law?"

Garrus looked sideways at her, her eyes mischievous and innocent at the same time. Sure, his sister had been dating this guy for a little over a year now and she couldn't seem to stop talking about him when they would have their weekly vid calls and he was curious to see what got his older sister worked into such a state, but he hadn't thought it was serious enough to evolve into a bonding.

"Oh, please. They're headed straight for the alter," she said and adjusted again, shifting closer to him. He supposed his girlfriend would now. The two women had become fast friends and talked for nearly an hour longer than he did with her when she called them.

"Not until I meet him and sign off. She may still be able to put me in a headlock but I have connections," he said, eager to learn all about this new boyfriend in his big sister's life. Solona was notorious for scaring off women when it came to her little brother when he was in his younger C-Sec days. She said she did it because it was fun to see the look on their faces when she told her embarrassing stories, but he had the feeling it was because she was watching out for him. Now that that the tables were turned and he had the chance to do the same, he wouldn't scare him off…he would just…scare him. Harmless fun.

"I'm sure he's a real catch," the woman beside him said and sat up, rolling her neck and stretching, the blankets falling around her waist just so it obscured his view. The familiar aroused purr in the back of his throat alerted her and she sent him a sly smile, purposely keeping the blankets wrapped around the lower half of her body and walked towards the attached bathroom.

Cold or not, he wasted no time kicking off the blankets and running after her.

Later on that evening, the pair was putting the final touches on dinner (which was bought from that restaurant down the street and transferred to plates instead of plastic containers) when the bell rang at their front door.

Shepard teasingly hummed the same tune that was played at the Vega wedding just months before and he sent her a mock glare as she went to open the front door while he finished setting the dishes on the front table.

She was greeted by an excited squeal and the women shared a hug, albeit an awkward one since Solona clearly wasn't used to such a human gesture. Shepard laughed and patted her on the arm as they pulled away. Her eyes immediately left the familiar blue of her sister-in-law to be and on the face of the man who had been making this grown, independent woman act like a teenager.

Suddenly, the room got quieter, the excited chatter coming from the woman next to her falling into oblivion along with her stomach. She felt her mouth go dry and her heart skip a beat as the telltale sounds of her lover's feet walking across their creaky floorboards echoed in her ears. She didn't need the introduction by Solona to know just who this mysterious man was because they had met long before in a dark part of the Zakera Ward with nothing but her head between a sniper rifle and his death.

Terrified eyes met hers and for a second, he looked like he was going to bolt. She wanted him to because the likelihood of him leaving their home tonight alive was beginning to dwindle as Garrus stepped up behind her and went very still.

She looked into the eyes of Lantar Sidonis and saw pure, unadulterated fear.

* * *

Dun. Dun. Duuunnnnnn.


	9. Blankets and Boyfriends II

A/N: I had a bit of a struggle finishing this chapter but I hope you guys enjoy.

* * *

 _DAMNDAMNDAMN_

Shepard quickly followed her seething boyfriend, ready to try and diffuse the situation and calm the raging turian in front of her. She didn't miss the awkward silence that followed and she peeked back over her shoulder to see Sidonis, still somewhat frozen in fear and Solona doing her best to comfort him. Had she known Solana would be bringing over the man that was basically responsible for the deaths of Garrus' former team, she would have strongly suggested against it.

This was not how she saw this evening going.

They reached their bedroom after the short trek down the hall and she made sure to hit the lock in case one of them grew the will to try and talk to him when he was like this. Though she doubted that was a possibility. The utter silence before Garrus turned and walked off was loaded with anger and that was more than enough to stop either one of them from following.

"Gar," she said softly. He moved to the end table on his side of their bed and opened the small door with such force the wood splintered. She moved to try and stop him when he grabbed for the pistol he kept there but stopped when he dropped to the bed and began to furiously take it apart. She let out a breath to control her heart. Garrus with a gun when he was this angry never ended good for anyone. And with Sidonis, the one person she ever tried to stop him from killing, in their living room with his sister, she was honestly surprised he had the strength to take apart a gun instead of load it.

"Garrus," she said, walking over to him. She kicked her shoes off and crawled behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and grabbing his hands that moved quicker than she had ever seen. He stalled and growled and she understood it wasn't at her. The only time he ever growled at her was when she was teasing him and oh, how she desperately wished this was one of those times. It would save them the flood of anger and old, pent up rage that was about to be let loose. She suspected the only reason Sidonis would have agreed to come here tonight would be to bury the hatchet and move forward. That, or he genuinely didn't know Solana was Garrus' sister, but she knew that wasn't possible.

"I'm surprised you didn't jump on him and beat him to death."

"Don't give me ideas," he said stiffly, his subvocals rising in anger. She could feel the tension in his body as she rested her forehead on the back of his cowl.

"I know you haven't forgotten what he's done and I know you never will. And now the fact that he's seeing your sister, who is extremely in love with him, doesn't make anything better."

"That's an understatement. If I would have killed him that day, all of this could have been avoided. He wouldn't be dating my sister and standing in my living room right now. Spirits, Shepard I hope you don't expect me to act like this is ok," he said and dropped the parts of the pistol back in the opened bed side drawer. He buried his head in his hands and sighed. She took that as a good sign. Before the Collectors, had this been even a scenario in her mind, she wouldn't have been able to stop him. He was so pissed off and mad at the world around him, tainted with the blood of ten people who fought beside him and for him.

His posture, rooted to the side of the bed, head in hands, was a testament to just how much Garrus Vakarian had calmed down over the past two years. The war had drained a lot from everyone, especially them.

"I don't expect you to do anything other than go out there, say hello to your sister and eat something. You don't have to talk to him. You don't have to look at him. Just enjoy the fact that your sister is happy and content. Even if it's because of Sidonis."

He sighed, talons scratching the back of his neck. He wasn't going to let this go anytime soon but she knew he would try, just for his sister. The two had been close as kids and even though the fight with Saren, Omega and the Reaper Wars had thrown a wrench in their relationship, they had worked past it. However, she was afraid this would cause an even bigger rift than his absence before.

"I want to speak with him."

Shepard ran her hands up his chest and kissed his neck before sliding back out from behind him. She trailed her fingers across the ring of his cowl, exiting the room and leaving her shoes off for the short walk back to the front door. She shoved her hands in her jean pockets, mentally running through a list of what she could say in her head. Giving Sidonis a heads up before she sent him into battle was purely for Solana's sake. Shepard had personally been at the scene of Archangel's last stand and heard the story prior of how Garrus got into that position. The distaste for Sidonis had grown immensely in the short time she talked to him on the Citadel, trying to save his life. She had hoped they wouldn't ever run into the purple marked turian ever again and she found it ironic that he turned out to be the man her future sister-in-law was mates with.

She turned the corner of the hall, immediately finding the pair sitting at the table. Solana had both of his hands cradled in hers, his head hung and eyes closed. It was a defeated look she couldn't ever remember seeing on a turian before.

"Sidonis."

The man jumped and jerked his head towards hers. She could see the subtle quiver in his mandibles and the grip on Solana's hands tighten. Shepard tipped her head to the left and Sidonis nodded hesitantly. His eyes sought out the woman in front of him and she nodded in encouragement, letting his hands go and sitting back in the chair. Shepard took a step back, letting him pass her before she reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Don't talk. Just listen."

Sidonis nodded and looked back towards the closed door before heading down. She watched him until he disappeared into the room.

"Shepard," the familiar feminine voice called to her from the kitchen and Shepard sighed, sitting in the chair Sidonis had inhabited moments before.

"Did you know, Solana?"

"He told me everything a few months ago," she admitted right away, saying, "I beat him half to death too, when I found out."

Before Shepard could respond, the bell to their apartment rang again and suddenly a whole other problem presented itself.


	10. Blankets and Boyfriends III

A/N: I own nothin'.

* * *

The second time Octavius Vakarian set foot into his son's home, it was more volatile than the last.

With a special dual chirality cake and wine bundle clutched in his hands, he walked carefully into the apartment, returning a hesitant smile to Shepard's anxious one. She was stressed, he could see. Her fingers twitched by her side like she was ready to reach for a pistol that wasn't there. Old habits of a soldier never really die, he supposed.

He could see his daughter, Solana, jump up from the table and greet him quietly. His senses went on alert immediately, reacting to the odd way her mandibles were lowered in an uncharacteristic frown. His daughter was not one to be gloomy, especially so after she had talked on and one about her new mate and how excited she was for him to meet the young man. This was not the same girl he had talked with two days ago.

Coupled with the anxiety rolling off his future human daughter-in-law in waves, something had gone terribly wrong. Plus, his son and Solana's mate were not there, or in another part of the apartment.

"Is everything ok?"

Both women nodded at the same time, standing straight and refusing to look at one another. He hummed and walked over to the kitchen bar counter to set down the dessert.

"Where is Garrus? And your new mate," he directed at his daughter and she sent an apprehensive look to the darkened hallway that divided the kitchen and living room. Octavius averted his gaze, refusing to glance over that way and instead looked at Shepard. She had folded her arms over her chest, effectively closing her off to any sort of questioning looks he sent her way. This was a different Shepard than when he first met her.

"They're…talking."

When Sidonis opened the door, he half expected to be shot down right then. The short, three second walk down the hallway was spent in preparation for his eminent death. He already prayed the Spirits would take mercy on his damned soul but he also said his goodbyes to Solana, thanking her for the time she spent with him. The feelings that started out as nothing more than attraction had quickly evolved into something more and before he could even stop himself, he was proclaiming his love for her and the urgent thought that this was Garrus' sister- _Archangel's sister_ -was dead and buried in that moment.

He didn't really think Garrus was open to hearing that story, though. The look of shock and rage that passed simultaneously through his eyes was enough to tell him he was in deep trouble and it most likely wouldn't end with him living a happy life with Solana.

The room was dark when he stepped in and he stayed close to the shadows, the darkness giving him a sense of calm that soothed his roaring dread.

Until Garrus stood up and suddenly he wanted to vomit, pass out and never wake up again.

He watched the man turn his head slightly to the right and his fist curl into a ball before it loosened and fell slack against his side. Garrus' head fell forward and a deep, rumbling sigh was all he heard before the cold clinking of a pistol cocking made him shiver. It was a sound he knew all too well.

"I should have killed you."

Sidonis tried to calm his breathing. If he was going to die, he was going to do so like a man. No crying or whimpering pleas to spare his life. He had this coming and he was fool to think that he could have gotten away with the death of his former comrades while Garrus was still here. He didn't deserve to live anyway.

"I could have had Shepard not gotten in my way. Hit you between the eyes a disappear before C-Sec got there…but I didn't."

Garrus sent him a murderous glare over his shoulder but it didn't last, turning into a sigh and shake of his head. He watched in awe as the pistol the other man was holding dropped onto the bed with a soft plop, the thermal clip lying beside it uselessly. That wasn't something he hadn't expected and he stopped himself from gasping in surprise.

"Why didn't you?"

The words tumbled from his mouth before he could stop himself and he briefly heard the faint reminder Shepard shot him before he walked in here. The one thing she told him not to do, he did. Typical.

"Do you know what kind of hell you put me through?"

Garrus turned fully, looking Sidonis in the eyes with so much hatred and anger he could _taste_ it. It was looks like that he hadn't ever been on the receiving end of, but he sure had witnessed what happened when you crossed paths with an angry Archangel bent on serving justice and knocking heads. Looks like that ended lives and now he knew what all those other low-life, drug peddling merchs felt like before they died.

"That night…," Garrus started, bringing a taloned hand to rub the side of his face riddled with healed scars, "…that night changed everything I thought I knew about the universe. Things weren't black and white anymore and I hated you for changing that for me. I hated you for every wrong that happened to me for a long time, Sidonis."

The room fell into total silence. The sounds of another deep, dual-toned voice rumbling from the living room briefly caught his attention and he didn't even think about trying to feel nervous that his mate's and possible murderer's father was there now. He focused solely on what Garrus had to say because it was the first time they had spoken in years and the thought of getting some sort of closure was something he couldn't pass up. Whether or not this ended in his death, he wanted Garrus to speak his mind because he _deserved_ that.

"And I'm confused now because I just want to thank you."

That time, Sidonis did gasp in surprise, eyes bulging at the other man who still looked at him with disdain. He opened his mouth, willing words to come out but he choked on them. He was sure he looked like a slack-jawed idiot.

"Had I not been in that position…maybe Shepard would have never found me again. And as unbearable the thought that you may have saved my life, I wouldn't trade what I went through and it's all because of that woman out there. So, I guess I owe you a thanks."

Garrus dipped his head, arms crossed as he contemplated what he was going to say next. He had to admit, getting that off his chest was easier than he thought it would be and the urge to lunge at Sidonis, surprisingly, hadn't crossed him at all. The looks on his face were enough to know that the man hadn't expected to live past the first sentence that came out of his mouth and it was enough for him to know Sidonis knew he deserved death.

But he couldn't bring himself to do it, just like when he was on the Citadel and had that brief chance to shoot Sidonis in the head anyway, Shepard's approval or not.

And sure, the wanting to thank the very man that tore his world apart sounded insane, but the war injuries had probably knocked a few screws loose and now he couldn't bring himself to take away someone else's life so freely. Shepard's knack for diplomacy and the need to give people a second chance had rubbed off on him.

Of course, that didn't mean he would forget so easily. Actions like that were dishonorable in turian culture. He could have been jailed and sentenced to death had the act been committed on Palaven, something that so rarely happened based off the fact that their people thought of the greater good before their own selfish needs. Sidonis was not a good turian by their standards.

Neither was he, though.

"Make no mistake, I won't forget what you did…but you've been forgiven Sidonis. I can only hope that they will forgive you too," he said quietly, a heavy weight lifted from his chest as the words floated away from him. He had to bite back a laugh at the shocked expression. He had to give him props for not wetting himself. He hadn't used the 'Archangel' glare in some time.

"G-Garrus…," the man stuttered, arms waving and mandibles quivering, "I-I-"

"Now we need to talk about Solana."

That shut him right up again.

Octavius drummed his talons against his thigh and took another look at the clock above the vid screen. He had been here all of thirty minutes and the silence from the two women in front of him was starting to really anger him. After several attempts to get them to speak about the obvious tension in the room (not to mention the fact that he could hear the angry warble of his son's sub vocals coming from the room down the hall) he gave up and decided to wait.

He was also starving and the smell of fresh _bruvia_ floating from the kitchen was making his stomach churn in anticipation. Octavius spared a wishful glance towards the try that sat in the kitchen of untouched food that was going cold. Skipping lunch hadn't been the greatest idea.

Shepard watched him and her lips twitched in a smile, meeting Solana's equally amused ones before suggesting they grab their food. Thirty minutes and no gunshot and she was pretty positive that Sidonis would be walking out alive.

Just as she was about to stand, the door to their bedroom opened and she locked eyes with Garrus who had looked more calm and sane than when she left him. She let go a sigh of relief when Sidonis appeared unharmed behind him and walked towards the kitchen, no longer wishing to prolong the evening with more awkwardness than was already lingering. The hardest part was over with and she was confident the evening would go on as planned.

Garrus sent Solana a silent nod, telling her they would be talking later before he shared a handshake with his dad who looked at him questioningly. Behind him, Sidonis and Solana talked in hushed tones, hands locked and heads bowed towards each other in a small show of affection. Garrus hummed as Octavius threw questions at him that were pulled from old interrogation tactics he faced a thousand times over growing up and looked over at Shepard who leaned against a kitchen counter.

"Dad," Garrus interrupted, Shepard smiling at him in a way that made his stomach flutter, "It's a story for another time."

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There it is! I hope you guys enjoyed the conclusion of that little mini-series. I had an incredibly difficult time writing it but I hope it wasn't too bad!


	11. Engagement Party

A/N: I don't own anything!

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"Remind me what this party is supposed to be about?"

Liara chuckled and shook her head, straightening her full length dress and fixing her collar.

"It's an engagement party. You know, since you and Garrus are getting married, all of your friends and family have come to celebrate you two joining together."

Shepard sighed and frustratingly fixed the strap of the dress she wore. How both Liara and Tali managed to shove her into a dress again was beyond her. And those damn heels! She sent them a glare, willing them to turn to ash before her very eyes.

"Garrus and I don't need a party. We don't even want to have a wedding or bonding ceremony," she explained, running a hand through her hair and giving up on the uncomfortable, form fitting dress. Her waist looked amazing at least. Garrus would be hard pressed to not stare at it all night and the thought had her smirking. Any chance to tease him in public she would take.

"Oh, please," Tali interjected, already holding a glass full of green liquid with a straw. Based off the slight hiccup at the end of her sentence, she was already well on her way to being smashed. She hoped Kal would prevent her from dancing on the tables like she did at the Williams-Vega wedding. She continued, "Any chance for all of us to get together and have fun that doesn't involve weapons, we'll take it."

"Tali, since when do any of us _not_ have a gun?"

Tali cocked her head to the side in quiet contemplation and gave up, guiding her bendy straw through the port in her face plate and plopped down on the couch next to Solana who was nursing her own dextro cocktail.

"Besides, most of us were there for James and Ashley's wedding," Shepard argued.

"Yes, but not everyone could come. This will be the first party that everyone will be together for the first time since the end of the war and it's all for you," Liara said, shutting down Shepard's rebuttal before the woman had time to think of one.

"What is the point of this engagement party anyway?"

"It's for when people, humans specifically, get engaged and throw a big party to celebrate it with their friends and family," Liara explained, obviously having read up on the event. She and Tali had been awfully eager to throw her one when she broke the news to them and Shepard protested long and hard against it. It wasn't that she didn't want to throw a big party for her and her friends, but it was the fact that the media would catch wind and their mugs would be plastered all over the gossip columns the next day. The huge storm of publicity they received when a picture of them holding hands in a park nearby their apartment late one night surfaced on the extranet was a headache in and of itself. She wasn't eager to catch their attention once more.

Plus, the debates on whether their relationship was true or some messed up ploy for strengthening turian-human relations were annoying and she was sick of being asked about it. However, Liara had assured her that there was no possible way any reporters would be getting the details. She was the Shadow Broker…she could handle Al-Jilani.

"Oh, so it's like a pre-bonding dinner, but with more alcohol and less contractual agreements?"

Liara nodded and walked behind the bar, grabbing the glasses and special Asari liquor she stashed back there before everyone arrived. She had really outdone herself too. The room was sparsely decorated, figuring Shepard wasn't a fan of pink tulle and fancy bouquets. A fully stocked bar, a dance floor and DJ and great friends were all that really called for the night to be a success and Liara made sure to provide.

Shepard sighed and sat uncomfortably on the couch across from the turian and buzzed quarian, looking stiff as she bent over to grab a handful of cheese cubes from the appropriately marked levo tray. Liara bit back her laughter as a small yellow cube fell down the front of her dress as she tried shoving everything in her mouth at one time. Shepard sent her a look that could kill.

Twenty minutes later and almost everyone had arrived. The room was blaring with music and the light machines danced along the walls as the attendees mingled and danced with drinks in their hands. Shepard had to admit, the party was a good idea. She hadn't counted on getting so emotional having everyone in the same room and having fun without the burden of war and death in the back of their heads. It was so surreal to see the difference in the way they all communicated now.

Jack had definitely lost most of her edgy attitude, laughing and flirting with the DJ who was trying his hardest not to get distracted from his job. However, she was still the Jack that everyone had eventually learned to love. Hard as it was sometimes. She was still contracted with the Alliance to help teach young biotics to harness their powers.

Grunt, who she learned had turned down several breeding requests in favor of a beautiful lavender skinned Asari, had seemed to mature in the past few years. The days of bailing him out of C-Sec custody for destroying sky cars and breaking out of hospitals were long gone…she hoped.

She spotted Wrex leaning against the bar, probably talking shop with Garrus and he looked as relaxed as he would probably ever get. That damn no-nonsense attitude had her smiling as he rolled his eyes about women and their problems. The pride in his eyes was clear when he talked about his babes, though.

Ashley and James, who she hadn't seen since their wedding almost a year and a half ago, looked settled into married life. They both still served on the Normandy under Ashley's command and James had lamented his crushed dreams of being promoted to Commander. She could tell by the smile and his proud looks he sent his wife that he didn't mind one bit.

Joker and EDI had joined her on the couches, keeping her up to date on the latest space drama. Apparently, Cortez had been getting friendly with the new gunnery chief and Daniels and Donnely (who were going to need to get a room if they took things any further on the dance floor) had finally gotten engaged as well. He also might have let it slip that Chakwas had been entertaining Engineer Adams a couple of nights a week.

She chuckled to herself when she saw Tali dancing recklessly with an empty glass waving around in her hand and Kal doing his best to keep her from slamming into Kasumi (who was uncloaked surprisingly), Jacob and Brynn and Miranda with her tall, handsome, probably genetically modified ex-Cerberus boyfriend. Oriana had shown up with them as well, unable to drink but having a good time trying to out dance an incredibly drunk Traynor and her girlfriend.

Solana and Sidonis sat in a secluded part of the room, talking and smiling and acting like two idiots in love. Initially, she had been wary of Sidonis attending since him and Garrus hadn't spoken since _that night_ a few months ago, but they had said hellos and parted, both not bothering to try and hold an awkward conversation they weren't equipped to handle.

Liara, who stood behind the bar, was making drinks and laughing at something Zaeed was saying to Samara (who looked completely unimpressed). It was nice to see her off her omni-tool and having some actual fun instead of dealing with the constant business only the Shadow Broker dealt with.

Deciding to fill up her drink, Shepard walked over to where Garrus and Wrex were discussing whose gun was bigger and tapped the bar, signaling Liara over to where she stood. Garrus turned and wrapped an arm around her waist, his attention still on the Krogan beside him but his hands gripping her waist in promise of what was going to happen once they got home. She smirked, sharing a knowing look with Liara.

"So, are you happy you let me throw this party now?"

Shepard sighed, bringing her refilled drink to her lips as she tried to cover her answer in the amber liquid. Liara, with her keen hearing, heard it and laughed, taking a swig of her own purple drink.

"Well, I'm glad, because I've already started drafting ideas for your Bachelorette party."

Shepard groaned and threw back the drink, slamming the glass on bar as Grunt cheered her on and followed suit, declaring an impromptu drinking contest that had the bar filling in seconds.

She threw her head back and laughed as Tali pumped her fists in the air and promptly passed out in Kal's awaiting arms, glass still clutched in her hands.

Maybe another party wouldn't hurt.

But she'll be damned if she wears the dress the next time.

* * *

Two chapters in one night! I tried to get everyone in this chapter as sort of an update and I hoped I didn't miss anyone! Other than that, I loved writing this chapter and I hope you guys enjoy :)


	12. Bachelor Party

A/N: I own nothing!

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Garrus was 99% this was a bad idea.

He didn't even know what a bachelor party was let alone why there needed to be half naked Asari strippers serving them at this seedy Illium bar. Joker explained the ludicrous idea to him the moment Vega brought it up and plans were already set in motion for the night before he could decline the invitation.

And what was the fascination with spending one final night as a 'free man'? He was already in a relationship that was a day away from being put in writing. Plus, he could have been at home right now with Shepard (who was being forced to do something she probably didn't want to do by Liara and Tali again) watching their favorite medical drama Flat Line. They were all in for a serious world of hurt if this was the night Jara (the bonded nurse) and Neilsen (the hopeless medical assistant who was in love with her) got together. He had been waiting for that to happen for months!

"C'mon, Scars! Stop being a grumpy old turian and drink with us!"

Vega shook him a little, his incredibly colorful drink sloshing around in his hands. James was responsible for the entire night and expressed interest in spending it drinking way too much and eating tons of greasy foods, which he could get behind of. He could also get behind a night out with his friends, being guys and talking shop. It was the fact that everyone seemed to think his life was about to turn into a hell hole once he became bonded tomorrow that he wasn't so happy about. He didn't see the upcoming nuptials as the end of his life. It was the beginning of a long, happy bonding with the woman he loved.

He wasn't even having doubts about the big event. Genuine excitement fluttered in his stomach at the thought of the impending ceremony that would be taking place on a white sand beach on Kahje. Both turian bonding and human wedding ceremony combined into one and being performed by Victus, who was acting like a fledgling in basic with the pretty Asari table dancer whispering in his ear canal. The former Primarch offered his services and accepted the offer before Shepard and he could answer as a thanks for all they did for him and the war itself.

"Leave him alone. He can't be too hungover for the wedding tomorrow. He's got quite the speech to recite if I know anything about bonding ceremonies," Cortez said, leaning on the bar on the other side of him. His mandibles twitched in remembrance. Yeah, long didn't even begin to describe it.

"Ah, a few drinks aren't going to kill him! Order 'em up," Wrex bellowed behind him, slamming an empty bottle of Ryncol on the bar. Garrus accepted the glass of cheap brandy which he shot just to get the guys off his back. So maybe he was being a…what did Shepard call it…a wet blanket? The guys around him were good company and clearly happy for him and Shepard if they were there celebrating the night away at this dumpy bar. The least he could do was enjoy the night ahead.

"Let's get a round of shots on me," he said to the bartender who happily obliged. The cheers and slaps on the back made him smile. He might have a hang-over tomorrow, but he decided he was going to have fun earning one.

 _4 hours later…_

"I hate all of you," Garrus slurred, leaning against the metal bars of the holding cell they all sat in.

Vega grunted, laying on the cold bench beside him while Wrex and Grunt head butted each other, the alcohol having not affected them so heavily and their biotics burned off all of the rest. Unfortunately, Joker and Cortez were too far gone to even be awake right now and Kal sat with his omni-tool opened and playing some game he had preloaded into it.

"You're the one who threw the first punch," Victus laughed, his tool up and typing a message. Probably to the stripper he had invited back to his hotel before the entire party came crashing down.

"He insulted Shepard. I wasn't going to let that fly," Garrus argued back and grimaced as a shooting pain shot through his unscarred mandible. He didn't regret starting the fight, but he did regret having ended up in an Illium jail after being arrested. That Batarian bastard had it coming, though, and he would gladly blacken his other three eyes if he ever saw him again. As far as he was concerned, the guy was fair game after he got out of the hospital.

"Is Lola on her way?"

Garrus glanced at Vega who was doing his best not fall asleep right then and there. He grunted in response, not sure if the sleeping man heard it or not and rested back against the bars again. Shepard had sounded amused rather than upset that she had to bail them all out, but she assured him that she was more than willing to leave the party and help them out. She even promised not to tell the ladies that they had gotten into a pretty nasty bar fight in exchange for a 'burger and a beer.'

"Haven't had a good bar fight in a while," Wrex said, his deep chuckle echoing through the empty holding area.

"Good for you. I better not be bruised tomorrow."

The door leading to the main lobby opened up and an Asari officer hit the manual override to their cell door.

"You made bail," she said shortly and turned on her heel. They all filed out of the cell, Joker and Cortez having to be flung over Grunt's shoulders while they were being processed. Garrus shook his head, hoping his dad wouldn't find out. This was the first time he found himself on the receiving end of the law and the last person that needed to find out was his decorated former C-Sec officer of a father. He wouldn't ever live it down.

Out in the lobby stood Shepard, dressed down in a pair of jeans, boots and her N7 hoodie, trying her best not to laugh at the miserable looking group of people she called friends.

"Ok, you criminals. Go get some sleep, we have a big day tomorrow," she said, waving them out of the station and to the transport she arranged to take them all back to their hotel. They mumbled their thanks and steered each other towards the awaiting vehicle while Shepard and Garrus hung back. Garrus didn't want to admit he was leaning against her because all of the sudden movement made him feel ten times more drunk than he was.

"Now, how did you guys end up in a bar fight again?"

"How about I tell you on the ship to our honeymoon tomorrow night and you can tell me why you were more than willing to leave your bachelorette party so fast?"

A deep red shade burned her cheeks and she looked away, agreeing to the terms with a small nod of her head. It wasn't often when the great Commander Shepard blushed and he was actually a little thrown off by it.

Guess that meant her night was just as interesting as his was and he was suddenly extremely excited to hear about it.


	13. Bachelorette Party

A/N: YIKES it's been a while since I've written anything for this, but hopefully that changes! Here's the next installment and I don't own Mass Effect. Enjoy!

* * *

At least at this party, she didn't need to dress to impress anyone.

A pair of jeans and her favorite hoodie was all she was required to wear and she was just fine with it. Dresses and heels weren't something she normally kept as a part of her normal wardrobe, so she was looking forward to her wedding day, when she would wear the last dress of her life.

That brought a smile to her face. Their wedding was tomorrow and she found herself extremely excited instead of scared and trapped. Marriage hadn't ever been on the plate back when she was in basic. Her life plan was to work her way up the ranks to an Admiral. Alliance for life. She didn't leave gaps for a husband or children in there.

But then she met Garrus and his bony ass and the Reapers threw her world out of proportion. Now that the war was over, she craved to settle down and enjoy her surroundings. A beach at sunset wasn't something she ever considered taking in before the war ever started.

It was like she couldn't live without it now.

"Finally wearing those pants you've been fantasizing about?"

Shepard shot an amused glare over her shoulder at Liara, who was dressed down as much as she could be without looking odd. And it still looked fancy. Tali, at least, had the decency to wear her casual jumpsuit and hood.

Maybe…she couldn't tell with Quarian fashion.

"I just want to feel normal and do normal Shepard things tonight. The engagement party was nice but my feet were swollen for days after it. Garrus had to practically carry me everywhere."

"I'm sure he enjoyed it. My brother is such a romantic, it's sickening," Solana piped in, taking a seat next to Tali, who was busy doing something on her tool.

"Hey now, I happen to like it when he quotes human romance movies…it's cute."

"And corny."

Shepard turned her head at the sound of Ashley's voice, seeing the dark haired woman with a noticeable baby bump looking amused and carrying a bag.

"Stop ganging up on my poor boyfriend. It's bad enough we've both been subjected to these god awful wedding traditions."

"I agree. Enough about Garrus, this is a girl's night. We're supposed to drink and eat and watch movies," Liara commented, grabbing the bag from Ashley and wrapping her in a sideways hug.

"Fleet and Flotilla first!"

"We know, Tali," the entire room chimed in and the Quarian hesitated before grabbing her drink from the side table and sipping it with a straw, remaining quiet.

"Working on that six pack, Ash?"

"You know it," she smiled, running a hand over her belly as she sat down in the empty spot next to Shepard on the sofa. It was amazing to see just how much change she saw in the woman sitting beside her. Their rocky past and tumultuous combat relationship hadn't completely cemented a friendship between the two, but they were far closer than Shepard ever thought they could be.

"Is Miranda coming?"

"No," Liara confirmed and began mixing drinks at the small built in bar in the far corner of the suite, "She took a vacation with her sister and her new boyfriend to some beach on Earth."

"Boyfriend?"

Tali leaned closer, drink still clutched in her hand at the new tidbit of information, "Is this the millionaire that owns a couple of planets in the Voyager Cluster?"

"I thought it was the one who owned half of the new Silversun Strip," Solana added, playing with the edge of her tunic in feigned boredom. One of the many things Shepard has learned about her soon-to-be sister-in-law, is that she's a total gossiper.

Not to get it twisted, the female could hit a moving target from almost a mile away (like her brother), but she gulped down gossip columns like they were water. She was how both Shepard and Garrus found out they were being followed around town by a semi-professional paparazzi looking to make money, and made interplanetary news channels.

"He owns two planets in the Voyage Cluster and has his own resort ship that sails around an asteroid belt," Ashley jumped in, having grown quite fond of Miranda unlike the rest of the women other than Shepard. They got along well enough with their similar no-nonsense attitudes and respect.

"So are we gonna skip the movies and just talk about Miranda all night because Fleet and Flotilla and all 4 of its sequels is sounding way more interesting right now," Shepard said, batting her eyelashes at the looks of annoyance she received.

"Oh c'mon Shepard, let us have some fun," Tali pouted, obviously already feeling the effects of the liquor. The Quarian really needed to learn to hold her drinks.

"We are having fun! I'm comfortable, Liara made me a drink with a tiny umbrella…I'm solid."

"Well…I have a little surprise for you!"

Shepard stopped at that, the drink that was passed to her just moments ago halfway to her awaiting mouth at the mention of a surprise.

She didn't do surprises.

Everyone…EVERYONE knew that.

She eyed Tali who was practically bouncing in her seat, her pink drink sloshing around precariously in her cup, the straw having fallen out already. Solana, probably feeling the effects of the alcohol by then, giggled uncharacteristically and nudged the Quarian playfully.

"Tali…," Shepard started, "what did you do?"

There was a knock on the door to the suite and before Liara could stand to go answer, Tali had jumped up and practically ran to the door, tripping over her feet once on the way. She stopped at the door, a three-fingered hand on the door knob and turned to look at the woman of the hour.

"Happy Bachelorette Party!"

Tali opened the door in a grand sweeping gesture and in walked three tall, half-naked turian dancers, dressed in various uniforms: one in a C-Sec uniform, one as a fire chief and the last one as a medic, who carried small speaker playing corny club music.

"Oh…my…," was all Shepard could get out before the cop dancer pulled her up from the couch with surprising force. It was all she needed to gain some momentum and slam the glass she was holding against the fringe of the turian holding on to her.

The turian went down, knocked out cold. The two other turian men behind him stopped, cutting off the music and drowning the room in stunned silence. Tali, who had been wooing and dancing to the music, stopped as well.

It took only a few seconds before the medic and the fire chief to back up and race out of the room, clearly not wanting to mess with the angry woman who assaulted their partner. Shepard turned to look at Tali with a disapproving look before she flung her hands and wiped the spilled alcohol from her hands on a stray napkin.

"Surprise?"

Solana burst into a fit of giggles, closely followed by Liara and Ashley, the room growing with raucous laughter. Tali eventually began to laugh as well, glad she wasn't in as much trouble as she thought she was going to be.

"Alright…who wants to patch him up while I go change my clothes?"

Shepard shook her head and began to head back into the room where she left her overnight bag, Liara and Ashley tending to the poor turian she knocked when her omni-tool started to ring with a call.

She stopped and looked at the ID, confused when it came up as the Illium Police Precinct phone number. Shepard sighed, really wondering if she wanted to even answer it or not. Knowing her luck, they were calling in a favor.

Against her better judgement, she hit the accept button and stated her name as a greeting. The voice that came through on the other end of the line was no expected.

"Garrus?!"

"…hey, babe…"

Shepard rolled her eyes, wondering just what the hell her boyfriend could of gotten himself into this time.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with all of you."


End file.
